The Bible

 

Daniel 7

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1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel hath seen a dream, and the visions of his head on his bed, then the dream he hath written, the chief of the things he hath said.

2 Answered hath Daniel and said, `I was seeing in my vision by night, and lo, the four winds of the heavens are coming forth to the great sea;

3 and four great beasts are coming up from the sea, diverse one from another.

4 The first [is] like a lion, and it hath an eagle's wings. I was seeing till that its wings have been plucked, and it hath been lifted up from the earth, and on feet as a man it hath been caused to stand, and a heart of man is given to it.

5 And lo, another beast, a second, like to a bear, and to the same authority it hath been raised, and three ribs [are] in its mouth, between its teeth, and thus they are saying to it, Rise, consume much flesh.

6 `After this I was seeing, and lo, another like a leopard, and it hath four wings of a fowl on its back, and four heads hath the beast, and dominion is given to it.

7 `After this I was seeing in the visions of the night, and lo, a fourth beast, terrible and fearful, and exceedingly strong; and it hath iron teeth very great, it hath consumed, yea, it doth break small, and the remnant with its feet it hath trampled; and it [is] diverse from all the beasts that [are] before it; and it hath ten horns.

8 `I was considering about the horns, and lo, another horn, a little one, hath come up between them, and three of the first horns have been eradicated from before it, and lo, eyes as the eyes of man [are] in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things.

9 `I was seeing till that thrones have been thrown down, and the Ancient of Days is seated, His garment as snow [is] white, and the hair of his head [is] as pure wool, His throne flames of fire, its wheels burning fire.

10 A flood of fire is proceeding and coming forth from before Him, a thousand thousands do serve Him, and a myriad of myriads before Him do rise up, the Judge is seated, and the books have been opened.

11 `I was seeing, then, because of the voice of the great words that the horn is speaking, I was seeing till that the beast is slain, and his body hath been destroyed, and given to the burning fire;

12 and the rest of the beasts have caused their dominion to pass away, and a prolongation in life is given to them, till a season and a time.

13 `I was seeing in the visions of the night, and lo, with the clouds of the heavens as a son of man was [one] coming, and unto the Ancient of Days he hath come, and before Him they have brought him near.

14 And to him is given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, and all peoples, nations, and languages do serve him, his dominion [is] a dominion age-during, that passeth not away, and his kingdom that which is not destroyed.

15 `Pierced hath been my spirit -- I, Daniel -- in the midst of the sheath, and the visions of my head trouble me;

16 I have drawn near unto one of those standing, and the certainty I seek from him of all this; and he hath said to me, yea, the interpretation of the things he hath caused me to know:

17 `These great beasts, that [are] four, [are] four kings, they rise up from the earth;

18 and receive the kingdom do the saints of the Most High, and they strengthen the kingdom unto the age, even unto the age of the ages.

19 `Then I wished for certainty concerning the fourth beast, that was diverse from them all, fearful exceedingly; its teeth of iron, and its nails of brass, it hath devoured, it doth break small, and the remnant with its feet it hath trampled;

20 and concerning the ten horns that [are] in its heads, and of the other that came up, and before which three have fallen, even of that horn that hath eyes, and a mouth speaking great things, and whose appearance [is] great above its companions.

21 `I was seeing, and this horn is making war with the saints, and hath prevailed over them,

22 till that the Ancient of Days hath come, and judgment is given to the saints of the Most High, and the time hath come, and the saints have strengthened the kingdom.

23 `Thus he said: The fourth beast is the fourth kingdom in the earth, that is diverse from all kingdoms, and it consumeth all the earth, and treadeth it down, and breaketh it small.

24 And the ten horns out of the kingdom [are] ten kings, they rise, and another doth rise after them, and it is diverse from the former, and three kings it humbleth;

25 and words as an adversary of the Most High it doth speak, and the saints of the Most High it doth wear out, and it hopeth to change seasons and law; and they are given into its hand, till a time, and times, and a division of a time.

26 `And the Judge is seated, and its dominion they cause to pass away, to cut off, and to destroy -- unto the end;

27 and the kingdom, and the dominion, even the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens, is given to the people -- the saints of the Most High, His kingdom [is] a kingdom age-during, and all dominions do serve and obey Him.

28 `Hitherto [is] the end of the matter. I, Daniel, greatly do my thoughts trouble me, and my countenance is changed on me, and the matter in my heart I have kept.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #262

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262. It is plain that the Lord fulfilled everything in the Word from a consideration of the passages where it is said that the Law and the Scripture were fulfilled by Him, and that everything was brought to completion, as in these where Jesus said:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. I have come not to abolish, but to fulfil, Matthew 5:17-18.

Jesus entered the synagogue, and got up to read. Then there was handed to Him the book of the prophet Isaiah; and He unrolled the book and found the passage where it is written: The spirit of Jehovah is upon me, because He has anointed me; He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to heal the broken in heart, to bring good news of release to those who are in bonds, and sight to the blind, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Afterwards He rolled up the book and said, To-day this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing, Luke 4:16-21. That the Scripture should be fulfilled, He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel upon me, John 13:18.

None of them has perished, but the son of perdition, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, John 17:12.

That the word should be fulfilled which said, Of those you gave me, I have not lost one, John 18:9. Jesus said to Peter, Put your sword away in its place. How then could the Scripture be fulfilled, which says that it must be thus. This was done so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Matthew 26:52, 54, 56.

The Son of Man goes away, as it is written of Him, so that the Scriptures should be fulfilled, Mark 14:21, 49.

Thus the Scripture was fulfilled which said, He was counted with the irreligious, Mark 15:28; Luke 22:37.

That the Scripture might be fulfilled, they divided my 1 garments among them, and cast lots for my tunic, John 19:24.

After this Jesus knowing that all things were now completed, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, John 19:28.

When Jesus had received the vinegar, He said, it is completed (that is, fulfilled). John 19:30.

These things were done so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, A bone you shall not break in him; and again another Scripture says, They shall see him whom they pierced, John 19:36-37.

He also taught His disciples, before He went away, that the whole Word was written about Him, and that He had come into the world to fulfil it, in these words:

He said to them, Foolish people and slow at heart to believe all that the Prophets have said! Surely this is what Christ ought to suffer, and enter into glory? Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them the references to Himself in all the Scriptures, Luke 24:25-27.

Further, Jesus said that all things ought to be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms about me (Luke 24:44-45).

It is plain from the Lord's words that, while He was in the world, He fulfilled everything in the Word down to the last details:

Amen I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all things are done, Matthew 5:18.

This will now make it possible to see clearly that by the Lord fulfilling everything in the Law is not meant fulfilling all the Ten Commandments, but everything in the Word. These further passages will establish that the Law means everything in the Word:

Jesus said, Is it not written in your law, I said, You are gods, John 10:34.

This is written in Psalm 82:6.

The crowd replied, We have heard from the law that the Christ shall remain for ever, John 12:34.

This is written in Psalm 89:30, 37; Psalm 110:4; Daniel 7:14.

That the word should be fulfilled which is written in their Law, They hated me without cause, John 15:25.

This is written in Psalm 35:19.

It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one dot of the Law to be lost, Luke 16:17.

The Law here, as in many other passages, means the whole of Sacred Scripture.

Footnotes:

1. A correction of the author's copy for 'his.'

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.